I’ve read The Road, Blood Meridian, All the Pretty Horses,, and I’m half-way through The Crossing.
I read All the pretty horses, which was swell.
But I thought the movie, which was directed
by Billy bob Thornton, and was faithful
to the book, was much better.
In fact I think that’s one of the best
movies I ever saw. There are places
in the book where somebody sits down
and tells you the history of her family
during the Mexican Revolution, for twelve
pages. Can’t do that in a movie. Better.
The critics didn’t like the movie so well.
Said it was disjointed, a series of vignettes.
But it wasn’t, it’s a great story of two young men
who ride into Mexico in 1949 looking for
adventure and get a good deal more than they
bargained for, and anyway that complaint
would work for the book, to which the
movie was faithful (except for cutting long
speeches).
Matt Damon said the uncut version of the film,
which I think is about twice the length of the
one I saw, is the best movie he ever saw.
I hope one day it’s released on DVD, but
given the poor performance of the movie,
I guess it won’t be.
Haven’t seen it. I’ve also heard that a long cut of the movie is excellent. Maybe Matt Damon/Billy Bob will finance a release.
I strongly urge you to read the other two novels in the Border Trilogy.
Some websites are reporting that the much longer cut of the movie is forthcoming on DVD. Rotten Tomatoes says it is called “All the Pretty Horses/The Missing 2-Pack.” I don’t know what that means, exactly. Another report is that the DVD has been ready to ship, but Daniel Lanois, who wrote some of the music, is refusing to permit the release.
I read The Road about a month ago. Very good, but very bleak.
Yes. Ultimately bleak, I guess.
Though I have not read it, many of my literary friends say Blood Meridian is the best. I have it on my to-read list, which is so long I shalll never get to them all.
I also have read The Road recently found it depressing but mentally stimulating. What happen! It makes the mind race for some kind of fill in narrative… a larger story but that being only speculative at best.
Totally opposite from the speculation of the book: A World without Us.
Anstapa